Sept. 18-24 Movies Calendar

What's showing at area theaters

Grace (Brie Larson, left) works with at-risk teens as a foster-care facility supervisor; Marcus (Keith Stanfield) is angry because he’s about to age out of the ward in “Short Term 12.” The film, based on director Destin Cretton’s short that won the U.S. jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009, opens Sept. 20 at Sun-Ray Cinema.

Cinedigm

“Short Term 12”

Cinedigm

Posted:
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 12:00 am

4 stars DRIVING MISS DAISY

3 stars STEEL MAGNOLIAS

2 stars THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE

1 star THE BLACK DAHLIA

NOW SHOWING

2 GUNS

2 1/2 stars

Rated R

Marcus Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) and Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) have been working for the government for more than a year to infiltrate a dangerous drug cartel. Unwillingly, they’re forced to team up when their mission goes awry. Their respective government agencies deny their existence, so they strike back at the gangsters who want them dead. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT

2 stars

Rated R

Good help is hard to get. Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) is an almost-bored wife and mother who goes to a strip club and meets a woman who becomes her nanny. Co-starring Josh "How I Met Your Mother" Radnor and Juno temple as the stripper McKenna.

AUSTENLAND

1 1/2 stars

Rated PG-13

A little Jane Austen goes a long way for most folks, but Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) is just plain obsessed. There's a Jane Austen theme park in England, where she goes to find some version of Mr. Darcy, the hero of "Pride and Prejudice," a <<fictional character>> who holds the yardstick by which she measures all beaus. Co-starring JJ Feild, the outrageous Jennifer Coolidge and Bret McKenzie.

BATTLE OF THE YEAR

Rated PG-13

Opens Sept. 20

The battle referred to is for <<dancing,>> as gutsy and talented Americans dance against the best dancers in the world. This is almost as pointless as that yacht-racing thing everybody salivates about every winter.

BLACKFISH

3 stars

Rated PG-13

Gabriela Cowperthwaite directed the eye-opening, harrowing documentary about Tilikum, a 12,000-pound killer whale, captured in 1983 as a 2-year-old, who grew to be 22 feet long. In 2010, at a “Dine with Shamu” show at SeaWorld Orlando, Tilikum brutally killed chief trainer Dawn Brancheau in front of at least a dozen spectators. The tragedy spawned an investigation and subsequent court case, and now a film.

There are a lot of cameras recording 24/7 in public places all over England and a deadly terrorist attack has been caught on film. Two members of the team (Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall) defending an accused spy were once lovers, but that’s not the biggest problem with this mystery/thriller – poor editing is.

THE CONJURING

2 1/2 stars

Rated R

Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and her husband Ed (Patrick Wilson) have investigated paranormal occurrences a long time, but when they get called to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, they encounter their most horrifying case. A family desperately needs help before violent ghosts destroy them.

DESPICABLE ME 2

2 1/2 stars

Rated PG

Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is back as a heinous villain who becomes a spy. Gru morphs from villain to dad to raise three adopted daughters, hitting the dating scene to find a suitable mom. Three Minions (voiced by co-director Pierre Coffin) again steal the whole thing.

ELYSIUM

3 stars

Rated R

The year is 2154, and Earth, where the 99 percenters live, is a mess. The air is polluted and garbage is everywhere. Meanwhile, the aristocrats live on Elysium, a circular spaceship oasis just outside Earth’s atmosphere. It’s a perfect, idyllic structure, made to look like the paradises of yesteryear. Max (Matt Damon) is planning to take down Elysium and bring equality to Earth in the dystopian sci-fi from director Neill Blomkamp (“District 9”).

THE FAMILY

2 1/2 stars

Rated R

Reviewed in this issue.

GETAWAY

1 1/2 stars

Rated PG-13

Brent (Ethan Hawke), a former racecar driver, is forced into a mission to save his kidnapped wife. The Kid (Selena Gomez), a young hacker, is along for the ride while Brent takes orders from the unknown criminal (Jon Voight), who is watching all the action through cameras mounted on the car.

THE GRANDMASTER

2 1/2 stars

Rated PG-13

This lush, beautifully filmed (by cinematographer Philipe Le Sourd) movie is based on the true story of Ip Man (Tony Leung), a Chinese martial arts wizard who excelled at his craft – so much so, he was Bruce Lee’s mentor and teacher. Co-starring Zhang Ziyi and directed by Wong Kar Wai. In Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese.

GRAND MASTI

1 1/2 stars

Not Rated

This college reunion comedy, co-starring Ritesh Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani, is not up to Bollywood's usual standards.

GROWN UPS 2

1 star

Rated PG-13

Lenny (Adam Sandler) learns crazy follows everywhere when he moves his family back to his hometown to be with friends Marcus (David Spade), Kurt (Chris Rock) and Eric (Kevin James). The four adults relive the last day of school through their kids’ experiences.

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2

2 1/2 stars

Rated PG-13

This sequel picks up right where “Insidious” left off. A possessed Josh (Patrick Wilson) has just killed psychic Elise (Lin Shaye) and Josh’s wife Renai (Rose Byrne) is in shock. Demons have followed Josh and Renai’s son Dalton (Ty Simkins) back from the Further (a purgatory-type place where demons latch onto humans and rejoin the living), and a move to Grandma Lorraine’s (Barbara Hershey) house doesn’t help.

INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED

2 stars

Rated PG-13

A Mexican ladies’ man finds the product of a fling on his doorstep and the child changes his carefree life. Settled in LA working as a stunt man, Valentín (Eugenio Derbez) and his daughter Maggie (Loreto Peralta) find their happy little family threatened when the child’s mother shows up.

JOBS

2 stars

Rated PG-13

The biopic examines how Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher), an entrepreneur and innovator way ahead of his time, built Apple into the most prolific company in the world. Directed by Joshua Michael Stern, “Jobs” also stars Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad (as Steve Wozniak), Lukas Haas, Matthew Modine and J.K. Simmons.

LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER

2 stars

Rated PG-13

Forest Whitaker plays Cecil Gaines, the White House butler who served U.S. presidents over three decades, witnessing many of the 20th century’s biggest moments. The all-star cast runs deep with James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Minka Kelly as Jackie Kennedy, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan, John Cusack as Richard Nixon and Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower. Also starring Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Redgrave, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard and Liev Schreiber.

OMG! Niall, Zayn, Liam, Louis and that scamp Harry sing to a massive crowd on the edge of complete hysteria at the O2 Arena in London. We see their incredible leap into the white-hot spotlight as the lads succeed beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS

2 stars

Rated PG

The sequel opens with Percy (Logan Lerman), Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) at Camp Half-Blood, the only place where demigods can live in peace. Or so they think. They’re forced to recover the Golden Fleece, which is located in – you guessed it – the Sea of Monsters (aka the Bermuda Triangle).

PLANES

2 stars

Rated PG

Watching this Disney movie, you quickly realize you liked it better the first and second times you saw it when it was called “Cars,” then “Cars 2.” “Planes” was made by DisneyToon Studios, which ordinarily works on straight-to-video sequels such as “Tarzan II” and “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.” The film, only moderately and occasionally funny, does offer a nice message of believing you can do more than what you think you’re capable of, but “Planes” sputters when it needs to soar.

PRISONERS

3 1/2 stars

Rated R

Opens Sept. 20

This crime thriller stars Hugh Jackman as a father desperate to find his daughter and her friend, missing under mysterious and potentially terrifying circumstances. Co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Maria Bello.

RIDDICK

2 1/2 stars

Rated R

Escaped convict Riddick (Vin Diesel) is left for dead – you know how that usually goes – and faces an alien race of predators and bounty hunters who want him dead in the franchise that started with 2000’s “Pitch Black.” Co-starring Karl Urban and Jordi Molla. Directed by David Twohy.

SHORT TERM 12

3 1/2 stars

Rated R

Opens Sept. 20 at Sun-Ray Cinema

At a foster-care facility, Grace (Brie Larson) helps troubled kids; she and her boyfriend, who also works there, counsel and guide kids who have nowhere else to go. Co-starring John Gallagher Jr., Frantz Turner and Kaitlyn Deaver.

SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE

2 1/2 stars

Not Rated

No matter the language or location, love is a challenge around the world. In Hindi.

SMURFS 2

1 1/2 stars

Rated PG

At it again, the Smurfs enter the humans’ world to help Smurfette (Katy Perry) escape Gargamel (Hank Azaria). Gargamel created the Naughties to help him harness the Smurf-essence, but he learns the only way to get it is with a spell only Smurfette knows.

THE SPECTACULAR NOW

4 stars

Rated R

This film, directed by James Ponsoldt, captures the experience of being a teenager with exquisite honesty and grace. Unlikely couple Sutter (Miles Teller) and Aimee (Shailene Woodley) are real people with real problems, leading lives of hardship, awkwardness and angst.

THIS IS THE END

2 1/2 stars

Rated R

It’s a wild party at James Franco’s house with all his rowdy friends drinking and ingesting substances. Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Franco play themselves in the crazy comedy. As a party is in full swing, the apocalypse dawns. Sinkholes, raging fires and vicious demons outside leave the dudes stuck inside the house with limited “supplies.”

THE ULTIMATE LIFE

2 stars

Rated PG

Jason Stevens (Logan Bartholomew) faces lawsuits from his extended family while running his grandfather’s foundation. His beloved Alexia (Ali Hills) departs on a mission trip to Haiti. Jason discovers his grandfather’s journal and is transported to 1941, where he’s reminded of what’s important in life. Co-starring Peter Fonda and Bill Cobbs; directed by Michael Landon Jr.

WE’RE THE MILLERS

3 stars

Rated R

Small-time drug dealer David (Jason Sudeikis) uses the “perfect family” façade after he’s offered $100,000 to bring back “a little bit” of weed from Mexico. The perfect family includes stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston), likable latchkey teenager Kenny (Will Poulter) and homeless teen Casey (Emma Roberts). Sudeikis delivers great one-liners and Aniston unfurls another edgy/sexy/funny performance in the same vein as her role in “Horrible Bosses.”

THE WOLVERINE

3 stars

Rated PG-13

Logan (Hugh Jackman) learns that being a warrior without a cause isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. When he gets called to Japan, he begins a journey to face his own mortality.

THE WORLD’S END

2 stars

Rated R

In this British comedy, one man fondly recalls a pub crawl but his mates hold it in considerably less esteem. Twenty years ago, Gary (Simon Pegg), Ollie (Martin Freeman), Pete (Eddie Marsan), Steve (Paddy Considine) and Andy (Nick Frost) attempted to down a pint of ale at each of the 12 pubs in a one-mile stretch of town. They didn’t finish the run and now Gary wants to make it right. The problem? Alien robots have taken over the bodies of the townspeople.

YOU’RE NEXT

3 1/2 stars

Rated R

A happy family reunion becomes a violent crime and then a case of serious counterattack in this thriller, directed by Adam Wingard.

ZANJEER (THOOFAN)

1 1/2 stars

Not Rated

This Bollywood drama is in Hindi and Telugu.

OTHER FILMS

WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME IMAX THEATRE

“The Wizard of Oz” gets the IMAX treatment opening Sept. 20. “Great White Shark 3D” and “Tornado Alley 3D” are screened along with “The Last Reef 3D” and “Flight of the Butterflies 3D” at World Golf Hall of Fame Village IMAX Theatre, 1 World Golf Place, St. Augustine, 940-IMAX, worldgolfimax.com.